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A reversibility of changes due to fluoride (F) intoxication, specially dental fluorosis was observed in the children of 8 to 13 years age after giving a calcium (500 mg), vitamin-C (500 mg) and vitamin-D (600 I.U.) dosages daily 3 well below the toxic levels for a duration of six months (180 days). Follow-up revealed no obvious reversal of dental fluorosis. However, its further progress of severity was inhibited. After giving an additional dosages of calcium (Ca) plus vitamin-D as well as of vitamin-C (ascorbic acid) to these children having 3 severe, moderate, mild, very mild and questionable chronic dental fluorosis for the duration of 3 months (90 days), further progress in the severity of dental fluorosis was found relatively minimum. Therefore, by a therapeutic regimen, further progress of chronic F toxicity can be checked or inhibited but cure or reversibility of enamel mottling is not possible.
INTRODUCTION
Osteo-dental fluorosis in humans and animals (mammals) caused by intake of excessive amounts of fluoride (F) for a long duration, and major manifestations of the chronic F intoxication have emerged as a global health problem (W.H.O.1970). Unfortunately, besides considerable out standing developments in medical sciences, a complete cure or reversal of natural or chronic dental and skeletal fluorosis is still not known. However, in experimental conditions some chemical substances like molybdenum (Mo), phosphate, sulphate etc. have been reported to induce gastrointestinal absorption of F while other chemicals like Ca, vitamin-A, C and D reduce its absorption(W.H.O.1970) .
The presence of Ca in gut directly affects the absorption of F ions and will also improve the low Ca level (W.H.O. 1970) Vitamin-D in low dosage enhances Ca absorption 3 and retention avoiding hypercalcemia. Ascorbic acid (vit.-C) controls the collagen formation and maintains the teeth structure and is also essential in soft tissues of experimental animals has been observed by giving a combined treatment of ascorbic acid (vit.-C) and calcium (Chinoy et al. 1991,1993,1994,1997). In the last decade, few studies appeared to claim reversal of dental fluorosis through oral administration of Ca and vitamin-C chemicals (Gupta et al.1994, 1996). Because of the conflicting observations of workers on mitigation or reversal of fluorosis in hard tissues, the present study was therefore, undertaken to observe...